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Showing posts with label Hilary's Body Language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hilary's Body Language. Show all posts

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's Body Language in Second Debate, Apology, Smiles and Lion Behavior

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By Kevin Uhrmacher and Lazaheir lecterns, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were able to roam the stage at Sunday night’s presidential debate. And while the spoken insults and accusations will provide much fodder for political analysts in the days ahead, we invited two body language experts to dissect the candidates’ nonverbal cues.Here’s a bit about the experts, whose lightly edited thoughts about the debate are below:David Givens, who is the director of the Center for Nonverbal Studies, a nonprofit research center in Spokane, Wash. Givens also contributed to this helpful dissection of Clinton and Trump’s body language before the debate.

Patti Wood, author of the book “SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma.” Wood has experience analyzing body language as it relates to anger, gender roles and apologies, which all proved helpful during the 90-minute spectacle.



The candidates walked out and, in a break with tradition, did not shake hands. Wood offered a thought about why it is so important. “A handshake … signals we are equals. Now we can come out fighting,” she wrote in an email Sunday night. The candidates did eventually shake hands, but not until the close of the debate.

‘He circles like a lion’: Trump declares his dominance
Looking to reverse his fortunes after a week on the defensive, Trump demanded attention with a display of aggressive sniffing, interruptions and emphatic pointing. But, compared with the last debate, “Donald was quite relaxed and calm,” Givens said.
“Trump came forth in full alpha-male mode,” The Post’s Karen Tumulty wrote after the debate. The experts agreed. Trump repeatedly pointed at Clinton as he lobbed accusations at her, a gesture Givens called “aggressive in all cultures.” He also compared Trump’s snorts with “a bull in attack mode.”

“I think the anger actually worked for him,” Wood suggested after the debate. “That’s his superpower.” For Trump, anger helps establish dominance and has a strong appeal, especially for disaffected voters, she said, adding that Americans are often drawn to the candidate who appears stronger.

Givens: “Trump’s constant pacing and restless movements around the stage attracted attention from Hillary's words, and visually disrespected her physical presence on the stage, as in ‘I am big, you are small.’ Wood: “He circles her during her turn. He is like a lion: going in with a biting attack, then keeping his attack energy going by continuing to move and circle.”

Givens: “Sitting is submissive; standing up is assertive. He paces [during her turn] to stay in motion, taking visual attention away from Clinton and her words. … His main message is ‘I am here, see me.’ “
Givens: “His manner of leaning hands and arms on the back of his chair as Hillary spoke was aggressive, too, as in a ‘broadside display’ of power. [It’s] common in the vertebrate world of males showing the biggest, widest parts of their bodies to intimidate rivals.”

Commenting on Trump’s ‘apology’ for the lewd 2005 video first reported by The Post on Oct. 7:
Wood: “Trump attacked Bill Clinton when he had a chance to apologize. A true apology does not include an attack.”Wood: “Clinton smiled as she began to respond to the Bill attack. [That] signals she was ready and confident. Her voice as she delivered was the strongest and angriest I have heard.”
Clinton stumbles on the smile
While Wood approved of Clinton’s performance overall, she said Clinton’s smile looked inappropriate. Both experts also thought Clinton looked comparatively weak when she sat as Trump spoke. Wood: “She stayed calm and even through most of the debates. His circling and staying close to her did not affect her, as scary as it looked to us.”
Givens: “Hillary addressed listeners sympathetically, with positive feelings and positive regard.”

Clinton reacts to Trump’s statement about using a special prosecutor to look into her “situation.” Reacting to Trump’s statements about her email scandal Trump criticizes Clinton saying she is “all talk” Both candidates react to a question asking for “one positive thing you respect in one another.”
Wood: “Because I've been analyzing her body language for a long time, I know her baseline … I think [the smile] was okay in the first debate [since] Trump rambled and had run-on sentences. [He] often did not make sense, so smiling seemed appropriate to communicate that she felt it was funny.”
The second debate was different, Wood said, because Trump spoke in more complete sentences and lobbed more serious accusations her way. This made it feel less natural for Clinton to crack a big smile.
Advice for the next debate
Trump should hew closer to his second debate performance, where he was more consistent across the entire 90 minutes, Wood said.
For Clinton, she offered some counterintuitive advice: Continue to break the rules. This may sound familiar to people who have worked in a corporate setting, Wood said. “A powerful person often breaks the rules.” (Think of the boss who shows up late to meetings.)

If Trump continues to flout the debate guidelines in the Oct. 19 debate, but Clinton sticks to her allotted time, she could look weak by comparison. Wood said she should monitor Trump and continue to establish power by going over her time limits if necessary.

Hillary's Body Language, as She Talked About Her Emails During Press Conference Reveals Why Some People Love Her and Some Hate Her.



Hillary's Body Language as she was asked about her Emails during her recent press conference reveals specific body language that can make you love her or hate her. .
She was asked fairly hostile questions, questions that could get many people riled up, especially if they had been asked the same questions hundreds of times. But she didn't get mad. In fact,  I found it interesting that she faced the interview as she got the questions and she remained still not frozen just calm, she didn’t move back in fear or displeasure or move forward in hostility. She showed self-control. Now can work for her and against her. One media person I was interviewed by today said that calmness showed she was a liar.  Others could see her self possession as a clear indication of her innocence. In fact, her precise factual answers and ease be seen voters who angry at the status quo and wants action may as hiding deceit. Yes, some may read that very self-possessed and professional body language negatively. I didn't by the way, but I mention this because having watched Trump in debates, interviews, he cannot stay still through a whole question. He has to move. Some can see his movement and his inability not to interrupt as an indication of his power and indignation. Hilary can not get away with the same body language. Here is what is also true. When Trump is mad and rants his body language and words are in sync. When he is mad, he is truthful. I believe that is one of the reasons he says so many negative things, He know he sounds and looks honest and believable and persuasive when he rants. He is really mad!  In analyzing and giving deception and interrogation training for over 30 years I can say, that she showed self possession, she changed the wording a bit to suit her statements, but what she did say, was the truth. 

Hillary email press conference this week 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdmf3RumpAM

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

What Do I Think of Hilary Clinton's Body Language


Do you think Hillary Clinton has a personality that attracts voters?
Hilary has a different personality style than many candidates. Hillary has always been highly competitive and laser-focused on her goals.
She has a commanding D Driver-style personality paired with the strategic, methodical approach of a C Corrector style personality. This combination of traits makes her very ambitious and very knowledgeable about the inner workings and details of the system. She is not warm and fuzzy. If someone who had suffered a great loss was talking to her, she wouldn’t say, “I am so sorry for your loss you must feel so bad.” She would be direct and solution oriented and ask the person for the details of what happened and offer a specific solution. She is a thinker not a feeler.  It would be great if she could be a bit more sensitive to people’s emotions, but she is a DC personality and they can sometimes be seen as overly task-oriented.

What are the elements that could show Hillary as a more humane candidate and closer to the people?  If I was her nonverbal communication coach. (and yes I am a personal coach as well as a professional speaker on body language.) I would create video and photos of her hugging people and being warm and genuine and playing with children, and people who have undergone hardship and even video of her being warm and relaxed around her close friends and family.

Does Hillary have charisma?

Let’s break down what Charisma is and talk about her specific nonverbal behaviors. Charisma is comprised of likability, Attractiveness and Power.
Likability is created non verbally through smiles and eye contact, animated and expressive facial expressions, gestures and rapport building skills such a matching and mirroring and staying connected and leaning forward when someone is talking. In the past, Hilary did not have a relaxed warm smile. Her smile was often often small and looks tense. (That’s a common characteristic of a high C on the DISC) She is super smart and results oriented so if she is listening to you and she gets your point, she is on to solution and she stops listening!!!! I have seen her do this in countless TV interviews. She has worked on her smile a great deal but, was blasted for smiling too much or having a odd smile in the first presidential debates, but over all the change in her smile made her look unruffled and warmer. Yet the media criticizers her if she doesn't smile enough an when they feel she smiles too much or in oddly. Her husband Bill Clinton who is high on Charisma and and does smile as much as he wants and we love it. He is high in Charisma and his smile is large warm and sincere.  He has  charismatic laser focused eye contact that makes a listener feel like he is the center of Bills universe and the most special person in the world. Talk to anyone who has met him and they will talk about his eye contact and how he lingers to listen to the them and connect evening extending length of handshake to linger and connect.
Attractiveness is the second charismatic factor and this is so hard to say, but Hilary looks professional but she does not fit the typical attractiveness standard. She looked great in the first presidential debate That irritates me as a woman, and really as a human being, But it is important in a presidential candidate.  Years ago, when Sarah Palin was selected as a Vice Presidential candidate I was doing media interviews about Sarah's body language and my hosts always mentioned her attractive appearance..
Power is the last component of Charisma. This is a tricky characteristic for a women. Hilary is very powerful. She has many power cues. But, there is a difficulty again with a women looking too powerful. Hilary walks the B line. The line between warm and feminine and being a B---h. She also has a strident voice. But she has worked on it considerably.  The biggest issue is that her nonverbal cues are not as powerful as Trumps and they cannot be!!! We would despise a female candidate who screamed and yelled, interrupted and stabbed the air and grimaced the way Trump does. The bigger problem is that the public tends to vote for the most ALPHA powerful candidate for president. Regardless of their party.
So, to answer your question, though in person she is highly charismatic, in interviews and televised speeches she does not have the likability specifically the warmth that voters like. It may not matter and it may make all the difference. 

Do  you believe that that charisma is necessary to win an election in the United States? 

Historically, yes. The public tends to vote for the most charismatic candidate. 


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Hillary Clintons’ Body Language and Voice During the Benghazi Hearings.

What Hillary Clinton’s Body Language and Voice during the Benghazi Hearings Can Teach Us About Emotion and Perception
By:  Patti Wood MA, CSP

What was Hillary’s "Listening Face” showing us? And how a female voice is "heard" as being more emotional than a man’s voice. 
I was asked to read Hillary's listening face for Poppy Harlow’s show on CNN. I analyzed six hours of video as well as video from her previous hearing and stills that the media used to report on both events. Though my segment was bumped for a press conference about the massive flooding in Texas, I thought I would share what we can learn from a listening face.  Whether you love her or hate her you may be fascinated to see how different she was and to note how the media portrayed her. 
Here is one of the videos that I read:

Clinton had to make a considered choice of what her listening face would be during the hearings.
There are gender differences in how emotions are perceived. The men questioning her were often loud, raging and abusive.  I have seen powerful men in her hot seat be loud and raging and defensive right back.  Being aggressive did not serve her well the last time she was questioned about Benghazi and she chose overall to be self-contained. It’s fascinating that many of the editorials have called her cold and uncaring. 
If she had been too emotional, or specifically, too angry in response to questions she would have been seen as a raging woman. Let’s be frank, as a women, she couldn't yell back without being called the “b” word. If she appeared too upset as key information about the attacks was shared, she would have been seen as an overly emotional woman.
Her “listening face” is often a "Cover Smile,” with her lips tightly pressed together and the edges in this case turned down at the corners ever so slightly. A cover smile is an attempt to cover true emotional state; her cover smile is slightly turned down at the corners.  If you look at the four stills I pulled whatever you may think of her as a candidate, she did a great job of being neutral.

Look at her photos:


  
I think the head resting on her hand is more to contain her feelings.  She is not bored as the media has portrayed her. She is calm outwardly and inside trying not to laugh at their behavior.
Men actually use cover smiles more often than women, and the turn down at the corners is more extreme and if you look at the eyes and the rest of the face you can typically see the emotion they wish to "Cover." See the photos here from my story on men's cover smiles.  Hillary has upturned full cheeks, her chin is up, along with her tight smiles are more sardonic. She is covering amusement or motherly frustration with their histrionics.
Read my story on men's cover smiles here:  http://www.pattiwood.net/article.asp?PageID=11722 

I would love to say something about her voice. For years we have heard her voice and I know I have thought it often high and shrill but it was not high and shrill during this testimony. She was very careful through much of the testimony to bring the register of her voice down.  This helped her tremendously. Men hear a female voice in a different section of their brain than they do a male voice. They actually hear a female voice in the auditory section of their brain (emotional) so when a man hears female voices they hear it as more emotional than a man's voice. 
The female voice is actually more complex than the male voice, due to differences in the size and shape of the vocal cords and larynx between women and men, and also due to women having greater natural `melody´ in their voices. This causes a more complex range of sound frequencies than in a male voice. What is interesting is that when a man hears a female voice the auditory section of his brain that is in his emotional right hemisphere is activated so he hears the voice as being more emotional rather than rational. Female voices sound more emotional to men than their own based purely on where they are processed in his head!!
Notice how you perceive the emotions of men versus women not only in political candidates, but also in your daily life. 
Here is a related article of mine on 
"Lying, the Body Language Mouth Cues, Cover Smile"          








This is an expression I call the cover smile. Yes, most people who give this expression believe they are covering their true emotions with a smile. They are giving out many cues that say what they are truly feeling, but they really believe they are doing a good job fooling you and perhaps deceiving themselves in the process. Of course the dog is just being cute, that video of him with the Chi Wawa was a set up. He will tell you all about what really happened in his Oprah interview. Here are the tips so you can learn how to uncover the lies of a cover smile.
This cover smile with lips pressed tightly together is typically found in men and I think comes from the need to keep a “stiff upper lip.” This is the expression described when someone is smiling through the pain. And their true pain as this set of body language cues shows is an attempt to hide many intense emotions of sadness, fear and anger. I see it in men who typically have very strong egos and power that are caught and brought down. They have spent their lives covering up their true emotions. 


There are several photos above of this expression in former Governor Blagojevich. Look at his chin. See the puckering of the skin. You see that puckering in babies the moment they are about to let a big ole cry. And that is what he would like to be doing, but he has to keep that in. In these photos I am not seeing true sadness, just the desire to cry out. True sadness would be visible with more of a pout, downward pull of the mouth and more puckering around the eyes. The muscles around the inner eyebrow are hard to consciously control.
If you look at the photo below you will see how Paula Deen’s inner eyebrows pull together and curl up. (They would pull more, but she may have had Botox or the muscle cut during plastic surgery.)

Congressman Wiener’s expression is a suppressed fear, disgust and anger. If you cover up his mouth and look at just his eyes you will see the whites around his eyes and his sideways glance, and wrinkled nose of disgust. The wrinkled nose is a unique movement of the face given in disgust. Symbolically it says I don’t like how this smells and physically it is an attempt to stop the flow of air and odor into the nose. If I knew exactly when he gave that expression, I could tell you whether he was disgusted with himself for what he did or disgusted with the media at a particular question of bringing his behavior to light. The wrinkled, upraised chin and tight lips show the suppression of two emotions fear and anger.

Spitzer also has a cry cover smile. His chin is more raised and more defiant and proud and more of the bottom lip is raised and held inside the mouth. The corners of the mouth come down significantly in a way that is more common to this expression showing his need to smile through the pain. Cover his mouth and you see his eyes are more hooded downwards at the corners and sad. You can also compare it to Paula Deen’s and you can see more wrinkle and pull in his eyebrows. This combination reminds me of the classic sad clown painted face.
 

To train yourself to read the cover smile start watching for it on TV. If you want to chuckle while you do it you can watch the characters of Modern Family who often hide their irritation with a cover smile. Here is a funny twist on the cover smile that shows in the character on the left how it can show light irritation and playfulness.
 

My clients in my speaking and consulting business ask me what it is like to be able to read people. Oddly I often think of this expression when they ask, because when you see behind the smile to the true heart of a person you often see their joy, their inner child and pain. The next time you see someone smiling through the pain, you can be compassionate and see the truth of their heart.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.